The new GERMAN AMBER-site will be translated as soon as possible !Here you can find a summary of all important links to the Norwegian Forestcats in X-colours : amber and amber-tabby(each link with kind permission of the publishing company and of the author(s)

Dr. vet. Marc PETERSCHMITTDicoverer of the Extension-Gene at the family of the cats / Felidae

Short simplified summary about the history of x-colours :amber and amber-tabby

According to the previous NFO-race-standard the colours 'CINNAMON' and in dilution 'FAWN' as well as 'CHOCOLATE' and in dilution 'LILAC' were not admitted. Therefore often they were called X-colours. But these colours are always present in breeding NFO, as proved since 1992, when S* WILDWOOD's IMER and his brother IROS were born in this colours. And this colours will still exist in future, even if they are very rare. In former times often they might be disappeared as very warm black-tabby cats as pets.

Until by closing the novice-class in the Norwegian race-cat-clubs (1990) and in the Swedish race-cat-clubs (1988), all colours were accepted. The standard of July 1st 1986 all colours were admitted, except point-signs. Only after the update of the NFO-race-standard at january 10th 1994 the X-colours are no more admitted too. Nevertheless it was not beared in mind : the X-colours are based on a recessive gene, which will appaer again after several generations of X-colour- carriers and will bring new X-coloured animals. Fact is the origine of this gene-mutation. Well known fact is, that all those cats are based on the female N* KLØFTERHAGEN's BABUSCHKA, but one never will be able to clear up, were she got the gene from, by inheritance or by spontaneous mutation. This will remain a mystery.

Till now the question was : were can we find the genetical source of these colours ? With a lot of testbreedings it could be established that there is no crossbreeding with other races. Now the question was, if it is an independent X-colour-gene - with non-agouti x-colours too - or is it another tabby-version ? With the commitment of competent breeders this was cleared now and the FIFE accepted the colours at the general meeting in Portugal on May 27th/28th 2004. Now they call it 'AMBER...' / 'AMBER-TABBY-...' with all variations. In the meantime there exist the first genetic-certificates that prove that the gene for AMBER-... / AMBER-TABBY-... is NOT the CINNAMON-gene (from the SOMALIS) and other certificates, that prove the NON-AGOUTI-type (a/a) for the 'BLACK-NOSED' Norwegian Forestcats in AMBER. In the years 2007 to 2009 was a scientific work about the NFOs in the colour AMBER resp. AMBER-Tabby. There the gene-mutation, was identified as a completely indipendent gene-mutation : the extension-gene-locus, which now is identified for the Felidae-family for the first time. This extension-locus is known since years at other species with the same effects (please have a look too at 'wikipedia.de' ; at human being the 'red'-coloured hair, at horses the colour 'chestnut', at dogs the colour of Golden Retriever and Irish Setter, and several more individuals). First now the extension-gene is identified at the cats by this scientific work. The EMS-code is nt (09 22,23... etc.); please have a look too at the links listed above.

AMBER-TABBY-... / agouti without white :Kittens in the colour AMBER-TABBY-.../agouti (blotched/mackerel/spotted ...) without white are like BLACK-TABBIES at birth, but with a pinkish leather nose. Their EMS-code is : nt 22/23/24 ... . But they are showing the much more warmer colours from the beginning; they have a bent for redish-brown, especially at the face. The coat is much more fair, especially at the paws and were you can recognize bright hairs between the paw pads. The paw pads themselves first are pinkish-sooty, then pinkish and finally they will become dark-brown or black, which is typical for the AMBER-colours. Exceptionally remarkable is their flesh-coloured ('pinkish') leather nose. At the age of about 5 weeks the coat is beginning to change the colour from the roots of the hairs to a more reddish colour. The colour-development varies from an intensive apricot to a reddish-brown and finally to the expanded variations of the colour like you can find it at the mineral AMBER, when the cats are adult. Then the dark paw pads and the long black kemp-hairs at the back and at the tail are remarkable, which you can find too at the animals until they are grown-up, less or more, depending on the different breeding lines !

AMBER / non-agouti without whiteKittens in AMBER/non-agouti, without white; EMS-code nt, are like BLACK-TABBIES at birth. First in the course of time of the kittens' developement, of about 5 weeks, you can see the pure black or seal leather nose. At the BLACK-TABBIES the leather nose became brick-red at this age already. Further you can recognize the light-coloured sole of the feet, which remains black at the BLACK-TABBIES. The paw pads are dark from the beginning and the will remain black, anthrazit or dark-brown. At the AMBER/non-agouti-kittens the bridge of the nose will become more and more blackened, like sooty. At this age of about 5 weeks the coat is beginning to change the colour from the roots of the hairs to a more fair colour; the BLACK-TABBY-hairs remain completely dark. The appearance of the AMBER/non-agouti is nearly similar as it is known from the RED/non-agouti-cats and so it shows a fantastic ghost-painting. Even at the adults you mostly have a super contrast of the ghostpainting, depending on the breeding lines. The nuances of the AMBER/non-agouti-colour and AMBER-TABBY-...agouti-colours varies manyfold like the colour of the mineral AMBER.

AMBER and AMBER-TABBY :The coat-colour is finally fully developed at an age of 3-4 years !!! It varies slightly from summer-coat to winter-coat.

REMARKS :The destination of the AMBER-colours becomes very difficult at kittens in AMBER-TORTIE-... and at colours with dilution like LIGHT-AMBER and LIGHT-AMBER-TABBY or with silver-genetic like AMBER-SMOKE or AMBER-SILVER-TABBY-... , as well as at kittens with white. When the special areas, like leather nose and the feet, are with white, then you cannot find some definitive amber-attributes.

THANKS !
Some of the following pictures are from the cattery 'BALTIMOOR's '.
Dear Christine, thank you
very much for the wonderful pictures – and self-evident for the fantastic Norwegian Forestcats

Further informations and descriptions for the different colours will follow in future and some of them can be seen already at some other 'Amber'-breeders.